Digestion of artificial sweetener sucralose appears to create metabolite that damages DNA

Sweetener

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A compound formed when Splenda is consumed – and is even found in off-the-shelf sucralose – is suspected to be genotoxic

The artificial sweetener sucralose, which is sold under the brand name Splenda, could be metabolised in the gut to form a compound that damages DNA, in vitro studies have revealed. The harmful chemical sucralose-6-acetate was found to be formed during digestion, and can even be found in trace amounts in sucralose itself, as a byproduct of the sweetener’s synthesis.